“…Manman?”
Not hearing Sui Mi’s next words, Pu Yu called out in confusion.
Sui Mi snapped back to her senses and gave a cover-up cough.
“It’s just a senior from school. He helped me out before.”
“Then you should treat him to a meal, that’s only right.”
Hearing that his daughter had no intention of going into detail, Pu Yu fully respected her wishes and didn’t press further.
Instead, he gently reminded her, “The wind gets strong at night. Don’t dress too lightly just because it’s cool out—bring a jacket.”
“Okay. Go change then, Dad. You need to bring Mom her dinner too.”
“Next time you’re home for a holiday, I’ll make your favorite dishes again.”
The call ended.
Sui Mi stared at the clothes in her hands for a few moments, pressing her lips together.
Oh, right!
This wasn’t like after her marriage, when she’d go out to dinner with Xi Jianbai and sometimes run into business partners or rivals she only half-knew—showing up in a T-shirt, shorts, and slippers wouldn’t do for that kind of small talk.
Just an unfamiliar schoolmate.
Just someone who’d done her a favor.
It wasn’t even certain they’d become friends.
What was she dressing up for?
Sui Mi tossed the clothes back into the wardrobe and shut the door.
She pulled over the mirror on her desk, tidied up her slightly messy hair, and casually tied it into a round little bun with a hair tie.
A loose-fitting short-sleeve shirt with light-colored trousers.
Her final act of courtesy was kicking off her overly casual clogs and pulling out a pair of sneakers from under the desk.
She was standing on one foot, jamming her foot into a shoe, when the phone lying nearby lit up with a new message.
Afraid it might be from Xi Jianbai, Sui Mi hurriedly looked up—and when she saw it was just a worthless spam text, her body swayed and she suddenly lost her balance.
Before she could steady herself, she stumbled backward.
“Hss…”
Her heel slammed hard into the corner of the cabinet.
That spot, where only a thin layer of skin covered the bone, offered no cushioning at all. The pain made Sui Mi suck in a sharp breath.
She braced herself against the desk and took a moment to recover before she could force back the tears welling up in her eyes.
Wincing, she looked down.
A red streak ran across the skin of her Achilles tendon.
Thankfully it wasn’t bleeding, just a bit scraped.
I’m buying anti-collision foam padding to stick on when I get back!
With the time fast approaching six, Sui Mi had no more time to dawdle. She gave the injured spot a casual rub—by way of consolation—grabbed her phone, and headed out the door.
The Cantonese restaurant they’d agreed on wasn’t far from the school gate.
When Sui Mi arrived, sure enough, under the streetlight by the entrance, she saw Xi Jianbai standing there quietly.
A light khaki casual shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing smooth, solid lines of muscle.
Unlike so many people who fiddle with their phones at every idle moment, Xi Jianbai simply waited when he waited—shoulders straight yet relaxed, gazing naturally ahead.
His profile was bathed in the warm glow of the streetlight, as if some of his cold sharpness had melted away.
Sui Mi took two steps forward.
Xi Jianbai’s ear twitched. He turned his head, and his gaze came straight toward her.
Without a hint of hesitation or probing.
No wonder people said he was like an overly keen hound.
Able to pick out, with perfect precision, the one set of footsteps that belonged to his Master amid the tangle of noise—then jolt awake from deep sleep, lift his head, wag his tail, his body reacting before his mind, already anticipating his Master’s approach.
Sui Mi stole a glance at the time on her phone.
Five fifty-five.
She had no idea when Xi Jianbai had arrived.
But as far as Sui Mi could remember, no matter how early she showed up out of politeness, Xi Jianbai was always the one already seated, waiting for her.
Before marriage and after marriage, without exception.
In her previous life, the blind date was set for three thirty in the afternoon.
Sui Mi arrived at three, thinking she was early, but the server leading her inside said the gentleman had already arrived at two. Startled, Sui Mi quickened her pace.
But strangely enough.
At other times, Xi Jianbai was the type to keep everything precise down to the minute.
He clocked in and out of work exactly on time. Occasionally, when Sui Mi got up early to rush a manuscript and ate with him, perhaps because she was too sleepy, she could even detect a hint of reluctance about going to work in his expressionless departing figure.
Meetings that popped up unexpectedly during holidays also ended right on time, never a word more.
Clearly he had no patience for waiting, yet he was willing to arrive that much earlier.
Sui Mi walked forward with a smile, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
“Let’s go. I booked a private room in advance.”
But Xi Jianbai didn’t move right away. He lowered his eyes slightly, quickly glanced at her steps, and asked abruptly, “Are you hurt?”
Sui Mi froze.
After the initial sharp pain from the collision had faded, she had strode all the way over, feeling only a faint twinge when the wound rubbed against her shoe.
It wasn’t painful enough to affect the way she walked, was it?
And he could tell even that?
“I accidentally bumped into something just now. I’m not hurt.”
Sui Mi shook her head, and when the server at the entrance of the Cantonese restaurant came to greet them, she tilted her head and said briefly, “Let’s go in.”
Then she headed toward the door first.
Xi Jianbai stared at her back for a few seconds before silently following.
Sui Mi loved the food at this Cantonese restaurant.
It was just that in her senior year of college, the owner had won the lottery, said he was quitting to go home and live off his winnings collecting rent, and closed the place down.
Eating it again after two lifetimes, it was just as delicious as she remembered.
Sui Mi buried herself in eating, occasionally exchanging a few words with Xi Jianbai.
She was quite used to his quiet silence, and she knew that as long as she brought up a topic, Xi Jianbai would answer meticulously.
When she learned that Xi Jianbai was preparing to start his own company,
Sui Mi thought of the future him, holding multiple Utility Patents and a fortune that would multiply a thousandfold, ten-thousandfold, and asked deliberately, “Would you accept investment?”
At her words, Xi Jianbai looked at her.
The round table in the small private room wasn’t big.
And Xi Jianbai’s eyesight was excellent.
She had eaten herself warm, a thin sheen of sweat beading at her temples, half-hidden by the short, fine strands of hair scattered by her ears. Her round almond eyes glistened with moisture, curving with a touch of lively cunning.
Her lips were flushed crimson from the hot food, and dipped in the icy cold drink, they glistened wetly, like velvet petals rolled in droplets of water.
Xi Jianbai looked at her for a few seconds, then restrainedly withdrew his gaze, long lashes lowering as they fixed on the pattern of the tablecloth.
His Adam’s apple bobbed slowly.
Only then did he speak in a low voice: “Do you want it?”
Sui Mi: “?”
She couldn’t help laughing. “If I want it, you’ll just give it to me?”
Xi Jianbai kept the line of his jaw taut, not blinking. “Mm.”
Sui Mi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Who would have thought—young Xi Jianbai was actually pretty good at joking.
With that utterly immovable cold face.
If they hadn’t been talking about patents and a company, it would have sounded far too casual, far too sincere.
Of course, Sui Mi wasn’t going to let his words fall flat. She nodded solemnly and made her demand, “Fine, then give it to me.”
“But I have one more condition—remember to specify that all past and future profits are transferred to me free of charge, okay?”
With that, she burst out laughing first, her eyes crinkling brilliantly.
Xi Jianbai’s fingertips tightened slightly. His unhesitating reply was drowned beneath her laughter.
“Okay.”
Originally, he had only wanted to be worthy of her.
Sui Mi had eaten a little too much.
Looking down, there were dishes perfect in color, aroma, and flavor; looking up, there was a face like shattered ice and falling snow.
She hadn’t been able to resist taking a few extra bites.
It was still early.
Sui Mi held the rock sugar chrysanthemum tea the owner had brewed himself, taking a couple of sips, then turned her head to look out the window of the private dining room.
The window faced the road behind the restaurant, and further along was a small park that didn’t take up much space.
“I’m so full,” she mumbled, then turned to Xi Jianbai. “I want to take a walk around the little park later. Want to come?”
Xi Jianbai didn’t answer yes or no, but asked first: “Can your foot handle walking?”
She hadn’t expected him to still remember that.
Sui Mi lowered her head and rotated her ankle. The comfort and relaxation of sitting for this while had given her great confidence, and she nodded without hesitation.
“Of course I can.”
“It doesn’t hurt at all!”
Then, a few dozen steps into the little park, Sui Mi quietly slowed her pace, subtly shifting her weight as she walked.
At first, there really was no feeling.
But after walking this extra distance, the scraped spot on her heel kept rubbing against her sock cuff and the slightly stiff heel of her sneaker, producing a fine, faint pain—not intense, yet impossible to ignore.
The little park was quite lively at night, with many people from the nearby residential areas coming out for strolls.
The streetlights were hidden among the deep green, lush trees, and the light they cast was somewhat hazy, gently illuminating the path ahead while quietly concealing the expressions on the faces of passersby.
Sui Mi tried walking a few more steps.
It really did hurt more with every step.
She never forced herself to endure discomfort, and was just about to turn and tell Xi Jianbai they should stop walking and head back.
The footsteps that had been following unhurriedly behind her suddenly quickened by two steps, stopping firmly at her side.
Up close, his tall frame cast a shadow that blanketed everything, completely enveloping Sui Mi, swallowing her own shadow.
Sui Mi couldn’t help blinking, tilting her face up against the light to look at Xi Jianbai.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the path beside them.
It suddenly occurred to Sui Mi that the position Xi Jianbai had kept while following behind her the whole way had actually been precise to the point of being subtle.
It happened to be in her blind spot—if not for the steady footsteps and the rustle of fabric by her ear, it would almost count as silent following, practically unnoticeable.
Yet he could move to her side at the fastest speed the moment she needed him.
Before Sui Mi could think further, Xi Jianbai spoke: “Does it hurt?”
“It hurts.”
Sui Mi nodded honestly.
The moment the word “hurts” fell, tinged with a slightly stuffy nasal tone, she saw Xi Jianbai lower his head slightly, reach into his pocket, and grab something.
When his hand came out again, his fingertips were pinching a small bandage.
“There are benches by the plaza up ahead.”
Xi Jianbai didn’t even lift his eyelids, didn’t need to look—as if he had already observed everything nearby in advance and could pinpoint it directly.
A young man who hadn’t yet left campus, his ability to restrain his emotions was not like that of the later Chairman Xi, so impeccably composed and untroubled.
His light-colored eyes soaked into darkness against the backlight, and his low voice inadvertently revealed a hint of the innate dominance and control in his bones as he commanded:
“Go sit down.”